Heart of Darkness: The Sinner’s Self-Deception

Unrepentant sinners never care to count the cost. They never care to look down the road. They never perceive the future consequences of their actions. They seem to live only for the moment and let tomorrow “take care of itself.”

There are many Biblical passages which speak to the fallacy of living in such a way. The Lord Jesus taught very much on the subject. In fact, the subject is so widespread and all-inclusive, one should always be cognizant of what one’s current actions will turn into when his or her karma chickens come home to roost.

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption… [Galatians 6:7-8]

Every day we are planting seeds. Each decision we make and act on is a seed that will manifest in something. It therefore stands to reason that we should all concentrate on making good decisions, on doing good things, and on planting good “seeds” so we can later have good outcomes.

…But the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. [Galatians 6:8-9]

There are consequences in every single action we make. Like the proverbial ripples in the pond, what one does today will spread into tomorrow and next week and will continue “paying dividends” far into the future.

It is therefore mandatory that we know what is good and what is bad, so we can avoid planting bad seeds and concentrate on planting good seeds.

If we are always doing good deeds, the fruit of the good deeds will constantly be coming forth. Something good will happen tomorrow or the next day and it will be because we planted good seed and performed good deeds.

Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh. Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. [James 3:12-13]

However, those who do good must also be aware of the presence of evil in this world. Evil hates the good and goes to war against it. So one may do many good things and have the fruit of that good come forth, but also attract the attack of evil for doing good. Such evil is not the result of one doing good, but the result of being attacked by evil for doing good.

Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. [1 Peter 2:12]

Unrepentant sinners are those who join forces with the dark side whether they know it or not. In fact, most of these do not know they are in league with the devil because they are deceived. And many are self-deceived. But in most cases it does not mean their conscience is dead. They deceive themselves into thinking their sin has no consequences and thus, not only continue to sin but develop a sinful lifestyle. Their personal culture and way of life has sin infused throughout it, and they actually believe their sin is good, and thus, not sin.

This is willing deception of the highest order.

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight!

Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and valiant men in mixing strong drink, who justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!

Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble and dry grass collapses into the flame, so their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away as dust; for they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. [Isaiah 5:20-24]

As an excellent example, this is why millions of American Christians believe ripping apart a living, breathing innocent baby is a good thing.

What?

It’s elementary.

Logic teaches us, through the basic form of the argument structure, the following:

Premise 1: Polls continually show that the vast majority of Americans refer to themselves as Christians.

Premise 2: America is supposedly a Christian nation.

Conclusion: Therefore, American Christians are pro-abortion, and have consistently supported abortion rights for over forty years, in that abortion, totally and completely illegal and immoral in the eyes of God, still exists as a legal and moral choice in this country.

If the conclusion is false, then one or both premises must be false. If either premise is false, America is not a Christian nation, and the giant majority that claims Christianity is not composed of real Christians. Since the facts of abortion are true, and since real Christians oppose abortion, it must be the unreal Christians who support it. And it must also be the unreal Christians who have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Doctors have advised thousands and thousands of parents that their unborn babies have such severe defects they should abort the pregnancies. And millions of parents-to-be have been counseled that babies on the way, physically impaired or not, are terribly inconvenient. Consequently, such parents have aborted their babies thinking they were doing the right thing, though they had to bypass a God-given convicting conscience. Many have regretted such decisions ever since.

But many parents have also refused such advice, trusted God, allowed their babies to be born, and such babies end up bringing great joy to their parents and the world, grow up and become good, productive adults, and are ever thankful that their parents allowed them to live.

Abortion is an extreme example, maybe the most extreme. But such an example gives perfect perspective to the “evil is good” mentality spread throughout the country and this fallen world.

Doing good is not necessarily easy. But deceiving oneself into sinning without repentance or recognizing the sin makes doing evil very easy. Such people have circumvented the one check on their bad behavior—they have removed their will/conscience from the equation.

Picture the ultimate running-with-scissors scenario. Picture one knowing full well what their evil behavior will manifest in but keep doing it anyway, over and over again.

And because of their disregard of goodness and light

And not living according to what is morally right

God makes it simple to sin to their hearts delight

By giving them a reprobate mind of blind and blight.

And they begin to believe in, practice, and teach the most idiotic things ever known to mankind. They become complete and total doofuses—total fools unto themselves, though with an arrogant air and the perception of intelligence.

And they hang around with like-minded people—those who are also willingly deceived. And they fight for evil. They join forces with the devil and not only do they not care or see, they laugh at the thought. And they think God is an idiot. And they think God’s people are idiots. And they laugh at those who try to rescue them.

They will not be laughing in hell.

And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them. [Romans 1:28-32] [1]

In other words, such people know they are doing wrong but are compelled to continue sowing bad seed with no remorse or repentance until they can no longer feel remorse or desire repentance. What else can this be but willing self-deception and an enthusiastic eagerness for endless sin sprees? And why should there not be justice for such crimes? Others may call them victims or place the blame anywhere but where it belongs, but God calls them what they are—those who love sin.

For most, justice will come after death. And they will not be able to defend their evil deeds.

Therefore, the idea that sinners are completely unmindful of and completely deceived regarding their bad seed and resultant bad fruit does not hold water. They know. And they know they will pay. The problem is they simply don’t care. They possess a self-created apathetic heart of darkness.

Nevertheless, though the result of their sin continues to erupt like a mad volcano spewing evil and misery all over the land, the Lord, in His great love and compassion, still tries to reach them…

Sow with a view to righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD until He comes to rain righteousness on you. You have plowed wickedness, you have reaped injustice, you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your way, in your numerous warriors, therefore a tumult will arise among your people, and all your fortresses will be destroyed… [Hosea 10:12-14]

RJ, may those who read these words have spiritual eyes to truly grasp the import of what God has led you to share. Sin distorts the thinking process until eventually that which we once looked upon as evil is seen as acceptable and even good. How vital it is that we all remain connected to God and are led by God the Holy Spirit.

There are fellowships who have presumptuously chosen to redefine marriage and sexuality to be compatible (read:acceptable) to society. They have forgotten two things: there are things which seem right to a man but the end thereof is (eternal) death and that it is God, not man, who sets the standards within which we live and love.

Thanks, Sharon. And thanks to God that He has set a standard. Before the fall, Adam and Eve had no knowledge of sin, dwelt in a state of innocence, and therefore needed no standards to be set upon them. There was only the need for one commandment, which they eventually violated.

This created the need for more commandments and in time even more. God had to set down such standards of living and of right and wrong because mankind had hopelessly lost the way. Yet, through the gift of a conscience, none of us have any excuse, though, as you said, the breakdown of morality leads to further breakdowns of morality, to the point that some do become somewhat clueless, but never not responsible.

The gravity of the problem is such that the Lord Jesus said even His own would be severely challenged:

“For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.” [Matthew 24:24]

America was founded as a Christian nation but has consistently gone down the road toward anti-Christianity for many years. Sometimes in ignorance, sometimes in weakness, sometimes in wanting not to make waves. It does not matter the reason, the result is we are not a Christian nation. Some say it started with taking God out of schools, and that was part of it, but truly it started when churches allowed the government into the pulpit and willingly allowed themselves to be muzzled for money. God bless you RJ, this is a great post!

Thank you, Patricia. That’s a powerful word. And very true. Didn’t the Lord mention something about not being able to serve both God and money?

There is very good news, though, as you know! Regardless of a nation filled with faux churches and faux Christians, real Christianity is on the rise and nothing will stop or hinder the Great Awakening coming forth!

Reblogged this on Manoah's Wife and commented:
Sow with a view to righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD until He comes to rain righteousness on you. You have plowed wickedness, you have reaped injustice, you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your way, in your numerous warriors, therefore a tumult will arise among your people, and all your fortresses will be destroyed… [Hosea 10:12-14]

However distraught we may become over the unrepentant state of “others,” God’s Love remains. We keep praying and searching for an inroad into an un-surrendered heart and sometimes forget that it is the work of the Spirit to convict and prompt a repentant response; we are only the messengers of Truth, the Light for their pathway. Someone has said “a picture is worth a thousand words.” We might say: “An exemplary life lived in God’s truth is worth a thousand words.” It’s true, others place more stock in how we “walk the walk” than how we “talk the talk.”

I pray that God will grant us humble spirits that will not “grow weary” in our walk of faith; that we can continually reach out to the unrepentant with a life lived in the image of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. [Gal 6:7-10 KJV]

Thanks, Don. And I think that’s why the Lord Himself never grew frantic or morose over the state of the unrepentant, in that the application of salvation and living for God is really up to each of us and can never be coerced, and God doesn’t try to, but He certainly does the spiritual work required to help us get there.

And it is far better to walk in the Light we know, gain greater Light as we go, and let our light shine. Great faith brings great peace. We know by faith that the Lord is always working doing whatever He can, and so long as we work alongside Him according to His will, praying and believing and fighting in the Spirit, what will get done will get done. And all the glory goes to the Lord.